The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3 eBook

SECTION LXIV

“Bhishma said, ’The duties in respect
of all the four modes of life, those of yatis, O son
of Pandu, and the customs relating to the conduct
of men in general, are all included in kingly duties.
All these acts, O chief of the Bharatas, occur in
Kshatriya duties. If the functions of royalty
are disturbed, all creatures are overtaken by evil.
The duties of men are not obvious. They have,
again, many outlets.[200] Led by many (false) systems,
their eternal nature is sometimes offended against.
Others who pin their faith to the conclusions arrived
at by men, without really knowing anything about the
truths of duties (as declared in the scriptures),
find themselves at last landed and confounded on faiths
whose ultimate ends are unknown. The duties imposed
upon Kshatriyas are plain, productive of great happiness,
evident in respect of their results, free from deceit,
and beneficial to the whole world. As the duties
of the three orders, as also of Brahmanas and of those
that have retired from the world, O Yudhishthira,
have before this been said to be all included within
those of that sacred mode of life (called Garhasthya),
even so, the whole world, with all good actions, are
subject to kingly duties. I have told thee, O
monarch, how many brave kings had, in days of old,
repaired to that lord of all creatures, viz.,
the divine and puissant Vishnu of great prowess, for
resolving their doubts about the science of chastisement.
Those kings, mindful of the declarations of the scriptures
enforced by examples, waited in days of old upon Narayana,
after having weighed each of their acts against the
duties of each of the modes of life.[201] Those deities,
viz., the Sadhyas, the Vasus, the Aswins, the
Rudras, the Viswas, the Maruts, and the Siddhas, created
in days of old by the first of gods, are all observant
of Kshatriya duties. I shall now recite to thee
a history fraught with the conclusions of both morality
and profit. In days of old when the Danavas had
multiplied and swept away all barriers and distinctions[202]
the powerful Mandhatri, O monarch, became king.
That ruler of the earth, viz., king Mandhatri,
performed a great sacrifice from desire of beholding
the puissant Narayana, that god of gods, without beginning,
middle, and end. In that sacrifice he worshipped
with humility the great Vishnu.[203] The Supreme Lord,
assuming the form of Indra, showed himself unto him.
Accompanied by many good kings he offered his adorations
to that puissant deity. The high discourse took
place between that lion among kings and that illustrious
god in the form of Indra, touching Vishnu of great
effulgence.’